Every Little Thing
by whiteroses-andmockingjays
Summary: "They say time is the only healer, God I hope that isn't right, 'cause right now I'd die to not remember." Bella Swan meets a cute police officer named Edward Cullen and what isn't to love about a guy in a uniform who is a sworn protector?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

I'm so stupid. God, how could I do something so stupid? I was going to be late for work and there was no possible way for my roommate to bring me my spare car key, seeing as she was currently at work and waiting for me to get there.

So, I was stuck, embarrassed, watching the police officer try and unlock my car door with a coat hanger from the back of his cruiser. I wouldn't be so embarrassed if there weren't a handful of people outside of the coffee shop I was parked in front of, watching the events unfold.

But I couldn't complain, because the police officer was attractive. He looked to be around my age, maybe a little older, around six foot two with tousled bronze hair and green sapphire eyes.

And he was in amazing shape – his muscles evident every time he moved his arms. "Here we go." He says, snapping me out of my daydreaming, and the front door pops open.

He reaches into the car and grabs my keys, handing them to me. I sigh, feeling a little less anxious. "Thank you so much."

I was still going to be late, but it won't be that bad.

"Don't worry about it." He says, giving me an easy smile and crossing his arms over his chest. "It happens all the time. Except it's usually senior citizens that lock their keys in the car."

Groaning, I cover my face with my hands as he laughs. "That's really not helping." When I look up, he's still smiling but trying to keep it covered with the palm of his hand. "I really need to get going before I'm even more late. Again, thank you so much. I don't know how to repay you."

He rubs the back of his neck and shrugs. "It's fine. All part of the job." I stare at him for a few more seconds before climbing into my car and pulling out back onto the main road.

Alice is at my throat the second I walk through the door. "Bella, where the hell have you been?" She has flour all over her lavender apron and a spoonful of icing in her hand. "We've been getting swamped with birthday orders and I can't bake all of the cupcakes by myself."

"I locked my keys in my car and had to have a police officer help me get them out." Her frown slowly morphs into a grin and I want to throw my jacket at her. "Don't laugh." I warn. "And where's Rose? Shouldn't she be here, too?"

She just groans and makes her way back into the kitchen. "She's on a 'weekend getaway' with Emmett. She can't make it this weekend."

The kitchen is a mess - bowls and spoons everywhere. There are hundreds of mini cupcakes spread out on the open counter space and only a handful are iced and completed.

It was a Saturday, but Alice and I had decided to keep the bakery closed so that we could finish all the orders by tonight so that we wouldn't fall behind and it would have been so much easier had Rosalie been here – she was the best at keeping us on time and the best at decorating. Alice and I were better at baking, but Alice did have a good hand at decorating and icing.

I quickly washed my hands and took over the baking while Alice started in on the decorating and icing. We worked in silence for a bit, until I had finished all the baking.

"So…" Alice started, piping a pink rose onto a vanilla cupcake. "Was the police officer cute? Or was he one of your dad's friends?"

I roll my eyes. "Charlie doesn't know anybody on the Seattle Police Department, at least anybody under the sergeant. And if you must know…he was very cute. He was tall, muscular and had really pretty green eyes."

We both laugh and then get back to working on the cupcakes. After another four hours of icing, decorating and then arranging the cupcakes in the correct order, everything is done and the cupcakes are ready to be sent out.

Our normal delivery man (and a longtime friend of mine), Jacob Black, comes to pick them up. I give him the addresses and then he's heading out the door. We were lucky to have him as our delivery man. We would never get anything done on time if one of us had to deliver it, and I particularly didn't trust myself with handling the cupcakes in the car.

After we finish cleaning the kitchen, we lock up and head back home.

The next morning, I'm up and getting dressed by six-thirty. Alice was in the shower so I sat at the small kitchen island, eating a bowl of Cheerios, and drinking a cup of tea. Once Alice was dressed and ready, I left my dishes in the sink and we headed out to the bakery.

It was late October and the temperature was starting to drop quickly and I was mentally kicking myself for wearing a denim jacket and not a thicker jacket.

Alice was bouncing from foot to foot while I worked on unlocking the door. As soon as the door was opened, we both flew into the bakery and I was so happy that I kept the heat on last night for once.

I flipped the "open" sign on the door and then went to put on some fresh coffee while Alice got to stocking the displays.

The bell rang, indicating that there was a customer, and I turned to face them while trying to tie my dark blue apron around my waist. "Hi! Can I help…" My voice faded out when I saw the police officer from yesterday standing in front of me, across the counter.

He had a friendly smile on, but still looked slightly embarrassed. "Err, hi. I just saw the coffee sign out front and my partner and I needed some…"

"Two coffees, coming up." I feel my face burning as I turn my back to him and reach for two to-go cups. I place the steaming cups of coffee on the counter and then glance up at him. He hands me a five and I shake my head. "It's on the house."

He frowns. "I can't…"

Shaking my head, I give him a smile. "How else can I repay you for saving my keys yesterday?"

He laughs and pockets the money. "It's all in the job description." We both laugh and Alice suddenly appears next to me.

"Oh, hi." She glances at me, a smile making its way onto her face. "Who's this?"

I open my mouth to speak, but he speaks before I can. "I'm Edward – Edward Cullen." He stumbles over his words and I bite the insides of my cheeks to keep from smiling.

"Well, Officer Cullen, would you care for a muffin? Bella makes them herself. They're delicious." She brags, resting her hand on my shoulder and I want to pinch her.

Edward glances down at his watch and then frowns. "I would, but I have to get going. My partner's waiting for me in the car and we need to be back at the station." He looks at me and then grabs a napkin off the counter and pulls a pen from his chest pocket. He scribbles some numbers down and then slides it towards me. "A raincheck…for the muffins."

He grabs the two coffees and then heads out the door, holding it open for some older ladies who are making their way in.

Alice nudges my hip with hers. "He's cute and you're blushing." She winks at me as she turns her attention to the women waiting.

I make my way back towards the kitchen to get started on the cupcakes for the day. Halloween was fast approaching so I was working on some of the themed cupcakes. I made the typical flavors – vanilla, chocolate, coconut, and mint chocolate – along with some Halloween flavors. One was a pumpkin spice cupcake with cream cheese frosting that had pumpkin fondant on top, another was plain vanilla cupcake but it was the same colors as candy corn, and then I made a dark chocolate with neon green "slime" icing.

The rest of the day goes by kind of slowly, but it's bearable. We get the usual customers in the morning for their coffee and muffins and then after three, we start to get a handful of high school students along with some college students and people getting off work.

There's normally a rush when the college students show up, so both Alice and I are overwhelmed with trying to keep up the orders.

And then I see him – Edward. He's still in uniform and standing in line, waiting patiently with a friendly smile on his face. "Two coffees, please." He says when he's in front of me. "I was just in the neighborhood, answering a call and my partner said he wanted some coffee…" He explains nervously. "You have really good coffee."

I laugh, sliding him the coffee and taking the five from his hand. "Well I appreciate it." I hand him his change and he clears his throat nervously.

"I was just wondering…about that rain check…" He starts to speak, but he's interrupted by the sound of a horde of teenagers walking in.

I shoot him an apologetic smile. "I'm so sorry, but we're really busy right now." He just nods, takes the coffees and heads back outside. Alice is laughing into her arm and I smack her arm. "Get back to work." I try to sound threatening but I'm fighting off a bout of giggles myself.

Around five o'clock that night, the last costumer finally leaves and I flip the "open" sign to "close" and lock the door, heading back to the kitchen to help Alice clean up.

"I got this." Alice says, looking upset by me cleaning up. She always did like to clean the kitchen herself – she claimed I didn't put things away properly. "Go call your police officer." Groaning, I throw the rag that I'm holding at her and she flips me off.

Grabbing my jacket and keys, I head out to my car.

When Alice gets home an hour later, I'm sitting cross-legged on the couch with the napkin on one leg and my phone on the other. "What are you doing?" She asks, tossing her coat onto the chair next to me. "Did you call him yet?" I shake my head. "Bella, come on. What are you doing?"

"What if he doesn't really want to go out with me?" I whine, looking over at her.

She sighs, sitting down next to me. "Bella, he gave you his number. There's nothing else he can do besides physically take you on a date." I go back to staring at the napkin and with a groan, Alice snatches the napkin and phone from my lap and jumps up before I can grab them back.

"Alice!" I cry out, reaching for my phone.

She dances away from the couch and sticks her tongue out at me, dialing the number and pressing the phone to her ear. I move from the couch and try to snatch the phone from her, but she turns away quickly. "Hi! Is this Edward?" Her voice is over-friendly and high pitched. "Hi Edward, this is Alice from the bakery. Yes, hi, I was just calling for Bella. She didn't believe that you gave her the right number…hey!"

I finally manage to snatch the phone away from her and shoot her a glare. "Hi, Edward. It's Bella and I am so sorry for my friend's behavior." I hear him chuckle on the other end of the line.

"It's fine, although I am disappointed that she was the one who called me."

My stomach flips and I look up to see Alice smirking at me. With one last glare, I head towards my bedroom and shut the door. "I'm really sorry about that…"

He laughs again and I can't help but smile. "So, I was wondering if you're free Tuesday night? I don't have to work and was wondering if maybe you'd want to go to dinner?"

"Tuesday? That'd be great."

"I'll pick you up around seven? I'll need your address, though. Unless you want me to pick you up from the bakery?"

We both laugh, but his sounds nervous. "What, you can't just run my name through your system? I thought you were a police officer."

He snorts. "Yeah, I'm not at that level just yet."

I give him my address and promise to be ready by seven and then hang up. After hanging up my phone, I hear the floor creak outside my door.

Jumping off my bed, I throw my bedroom door open and Alice is standing outside of it, looking guilty. "Asshole!" I accuse, pointing at her.

She shrugs. "Yes, but I'm an asshole you just got you a date with a really hot cop." I roll my eyes. "Look on the bright side – you won't have to buy handcuffs for sex."

I smack her shoulder and she bursts into a fit of giggles, heading into her bedroom and shutting the door behind her.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

It was Tuesday and we were busier than we had been before. What was the special occasion? It was still two weeks until Halloween so there weren't any Halloween parties going on in schools and school was in session still, so why were there a lot of kids in the bakery? And why was everyone suddenly craving cupcakes at twelve in the afternoon?

Whatever, I shouldn't complain. It was business and any kind of business was a gift. But did it really have to be today? I was already panicking over my date later tonight and wanted to close early.

But from the looks of it, I wasn't going to get to close early and I wasn't going to ditch Alice to fend for herself.

The day went by slowly, my anxiety over tonight being shoved aside for the stress of keeping up with orders that didn't seem to slow down at all throughout the rest of the day. Of course, it wasn't only Alice and I here, we had a staff to help with filling orders called in and to help bake the cupcakes and they were a saving grace when it came to days like today.

Finally, the customers stopped filing in and it slowed down significantly. The sun had just set and the street lamps were on so I flipped the lock on the front door and started to clean up the front counter.

"Bella?!" Alice squeaks from behind me, making me jump. "What are you still doing here?" I fix her a confused look and she stares at me in disbelief. "Your date? With the police officer?"

I shrug, going back to wiping the counter. "He's not picking me up until seven, I still have time."

Alice scoffs and yanks the rag from my hand. "Bella, it's seven-thirty!" She exclaims and I glance at the clock behind her.

"Shit!" I rip my apron off, grab my bag and run out of the bakery towards my car.

I'm running up the steps to my apartment and Edward's sitting on the floor outside of my apartment, looking dejected and slightly annoyed. "I'm late and I'm so, so sorry! We were busy and I was overwhelmed and lost track of time. Give me five minutes to change and then I'll be ready to go!" I shove the door open after unlocking it and let Edward in behind me.

Dropping my bag on the couch, I run to my bedroom and yank my black t-shirt off over my head and wiggle out of my work jeans. I change into a black floaty skirt and a red blouse with black flats. I have no choice but to run my brush through my hair quickly and glance once more in the mirror before heading back out into the living room.

Edward is leaning against the back of the armchair in the living room and I'm suddenly struck by how attractive he is.

Being in his uniform is one thing – a police uniform can make a lot of people attractive – but he's wearing a simple pair of dark wash jeans with a cream-colored sweater and his bronze hair is unruly and he just looks so…sexy.

"Hi…" He smiles, almost shyly.

I give him a smile and then frown. "I'm so sorry about being late. You probably thought that I was skipping out on you."

He shakes his head, pushing himself off the chair. "It's fine, really, Bella. I understand that you were busy. But you're here now and that's what matters. Are you ready to go?"

I nod and he leads the way out of the apartment and down the steps to his waiting car.

Fifteen minutes later, we're parked out front of a pizza place in the middle of Seattle. I glance over at Edward as he turns the ignition off. "Pizza?" I ask, amused.

Edward nods and gives me a heart-melting grin. "I figured you'd be hungry after work and who doesn't love pizza?"

"Okay then." I laugh and step out of the car, and follow behind him into the restaurant.

We head inside and when we approach the hostess stand, the girl in front gives Edward a flirtatious smile – completely ignoring my existence – and grabs two menus, heading towards a table in the back. She seats us by the large window and then leaves us.

I'm about to sit with my back against the wall when Edward suddenly speaks up. "Do you mind if I sit there? I have this thing about being able to see the door."

I give him a strange look but don't argue. I sit down on the opposite side and look through the menu. After our waiter comes by and takes our orders and menus, I fold my hands in my lap and suddenly feel awkward. Why do I feel so awkward?

"So…" I start. "What's the reason with the door thing?" I really hope I'm not being rude but I just need there to be some sort of ice breaker.

Edward smiles and leans back against his chair. "It's just a police thing. I feel a lot better knowing I'm able to see the door. Having my back to it is extremely uncomfortable and I get anxious about it." I nod along at his explanation. "And if something were to happen, I'd be able to see it right away and react quicker."

"What made you want to be a police officer?" I ask, interested.

He shrugs. "I don't really know. All I remember is that I used to love pretending to be a cop when I was a kid – my parents constantly bought me new police costumes so that I never outgrew them."

I can't help but smile at the thought of him as a small child, dressing up in a police uniform.

"What about you?" He smirks. "What made you want to own a bakery?"

Laughing, I comb my fingers through my hair and lean back in my chair, feeling a little less anxious. "My dad, Charlie, was a terrible cook when I lived with him. He could barely make spaghetti without messing up, so I was usually the one who cooked dinner every night. I also baked – a lot. Charlie is the police chief of my hometown and so I would bake for him and his coworkers and I just loved it a lot more than cooking, than anything really. I loved the smell of fresh baked cupcakes and how the house would smell sweet for days after I had baked."

His ears perk up. "Your dad's a police chief?" I nod. "What a coincidence."

Our dinner arrives and we spend the rest of the night talking about our past and where we went to high school, what made us want to move to Seattle…the basics.

After we finish and pay, we head back to the car and it's close to ten at night and I'm exhausted from my early morning and busy day.

Edward drives me back to the apartment and walks me to my door and my chest suddenly feels warm. He's protective and it makes me want to melt. "As much as I really don't want this date to end, I have a very early morning."

I smirk. "I do, too."

We stand in the hallway, staring at each other, both of us smiling, for a while and I really don't want the night to end. I like talking to him, it's so easy and he makes me feel warm and safe. I haven't felt like that in a long time.

And then he's capturing my face between his hands, his eyes searching mine for a sign of indifference. And then his lips are brushing against mine, my heart racing and I'm gripping his wrists to steady myself. My breathing is embarrassingly loud.

I'm waiting for him to kiss – I want him to kiss me. But he suddenly steps back, dropping his hands, and giving me a soft smile. "Goodnight, Bella." He chuckles and then heads back down the hall, towards the elevator.

I slump back against the door, staring after him. My heart is starting to slow, but my head is a confused mess.

 _What the fuck?_

Opening the door, I walk in and see Alice walking out of the kitchen, holding a small pint of ice cream and in her pajamas. She looks surprised to see me. "Well that was a short date." Her face drops. "Did it go badly?"

"I don't think so?"

She makes her way over to the couch, folding her legs underneath her. "You don't _think_ so? What does that mean?"

I'm staring at the floor, still trying to wrap my head around his rejection. "The date was going well – we talked and laughed and then when he dropped me off, he leaned in to kiss me…and then he pulled away and left."

"Maybe he wanted to kiss you but just didn't know how you'd react." She offers, not sounding so sure of herself.

"I think I made it pretty obvious that I wanted him to kiss me." I scoff, beginning to get frustrated. "I'm going to go shower and then go to bed, I have to be at the bakery early tomorrow morning."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

A few days passed and I didn't hear anything from Edward. He didn't call me or text me or even stop by for coffee in the morning. I was a little irritated, but at the same time I was upset – did he really hate the date that much? Maybe it wasn't as good of a date as I thought it was.

Alice stopped bugging me about it after a while, letting me mope in private and not suggesting I call or text him.

The day of Halloween was one of my favorite days to be at work. Alice, Rosalie, and I spent the night before decorating the bakery and the display cases and then we prepare everything for the morning. The day is spent handing out cupcakes like normal, and decorating the cupcakes. At night, we pass out candy and mini cupcakes.

It's so much fun and I love doing it and seeing the kids' faces when I hand them candy and cupcakes.

There hasn't really been a slow Halloween yet, since we are located a few blocks from the middle of Seattle, there's a lot of kids who live in apartments. Most of the stores and shops around us pass out candy, too, so a lot just naturally flock to the street.

It's close to eight at night and all the street lamps are starting to turn on as the night darkens. Alice had turned in early and Rosalie and I were handing out the remaining candy while Rosalie told me all about her relationship troubles with her boyfriend, Emmett.

"I mean…he acts immature a lot and at first it was endearing and cute, but now it's starting to get annoying." She frowns, holding her bowl out to a kid who looks a little too old to be trick-or-treating and put minimal effort into his costume. "I want a serious relationship – we're not in college anymore! I don't want to feel like I'm babysitting my boyfriend."

I nod along, but I don't really listen too closely. I love Rosalie, I really do, she's like a sister to me. But every now and again she'll have this same complaint about Emmett and then the following week he's better and more mature.

And then suddenly she stops talking. "Woah…" She breathes and I glance up at her and then follow her gaze to the two guys walking towards us.

One is a medium build with floppy blonde hair and the other is slightly taller, not as muscular with bronze hair.

And they're both wearing police uniforms.

"Hey, Bella." Edward smiles at me when stops in front of me. "This is my partner – Jasper." He nods to the guy next to him, who smiles and nods in acknowledgment.

Rosalie glances between Edward and me, a confused look slowly being replaced by a look of recognition. "You're Edward…" Is all she says, looking Edward up and down. "So, Jasper…" Rosalie turns her attention to the other officer. "Would you like some coffee?" He nods and the two disappear into the bakery.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, my voice only a little louder than a whisper.

He shrugs, crossing his arms over his chest. "I was in the neighborhood, on patrol, and I thought I'd stop by."

I stare at him, dumbfounded. Is he serious? Did he just block the last few days out of his head? Did he forget about when he left me hanging when I thought he was going to kiss me and then didn't call me?

I can't help it – I laugh.

His face falls and he looks confused. "What's so funny?"

Shaking my head, I roll my eyes at him. "You! You don't call me for days after our date – the date where you made a move to kiss me and then just left me hanging! – and then you come here, acting as if nothing's wrong."

"I didn't call, I know." He confesses, looking guilty. "But I've been swamped at work and I haven't had much time to sleep, let alone call."

I feel a pang of guilt in my chest. Of course, he's busy – he's a police officer. He's going to be busy. Ugh, I feel like an ass.

I cross my arms over my chest, not wanting to admit that I was wrong to be angry with him. "You didn't stop by."

He gives me a shy smile. "I was embarrassed after I didn't kiss you."

Looking up at him, I bite the insides of my cheeks to keep from smiling. "So, you wanted to kiss me?" When he nods, I sigh. "Why didn't you?" I'm only half an octave away from sounding like a whiny five-year-old.

Edward runs his fingers through his hair, messing it up even more. "I…I don't know." He admits. "I don't have an answer for you."

Turning, I grab my candy bowl and head into the bakery. Rose and Jasper are standing by the register, chatting. I can hear Edward following me, but I go behind the counter and he stops. "Bella!" He calls, but I ignore him and go into the back.

There's some conversation going on at the front and then Rosalie appears, looking confused and worried. "Is that the Edward you and Alice have been talking about?" When I nod, she just looks at me and then leans up against a table, crossing her arms over her chest. "I think he's hot."

"Rose!" I cautioned, glaring at her.

She holds her hands up in a defensive manner. "What? He is! And you're pissed at him because he didn't kiss you?"

"And he didn't call me…" I mumble, feeling like a troublesome child under her judgmental glare.

"You showed up half an hour late to the date." She reminds me and I sigh. She has a point and I really have no reason to be mad at Edward – I just feel rejected and it hurt…a lot. "I think you should give him another chance."

I roll my eyes. "You're only saying that because he's hot."

Rosalie smiles and shrugs, nonchalantly. "That's part of it – but the other part is that you two would be a pretty cute couple."

She pushes herself off the table and heads back up front, leaving me in the kitchen all alone.

"Bella…" Edward's standing in the doorway to the kitchen.

Holding up my hand, I stop him from saying anything further. "I'm sorry. I was an asshole and let my feelings think instead of my brain." I cross my arms in front of me, self-consciously. "I was the one who was late and made you wait. If anything, you should be pissed at me." Edward has a smirk on his face and I don't know whether to smile. "And if you're up for it…I would like to have a re-do date."

He makes a big show of contemplating my offer, and then sighs. "I mean…I guess I can go. If you promise not to be late again."

"I promise I will not be late."

We settle on a date for this Friday, and he says that he's going to make dinner so he gives me his address and I promise to be there by seven.

He heads out, Jasper following behind him, and I lock the front door once they're gone. Rosalie gives me a look when I turn around and I just shake my head, a silent warning.

Thursday is a slow day, nothing much happening after lunchtime, so we close early and I'm left to sit in the back office and go through the typical paperwork. Alice and Rosalie are already gone and so are the rest of the employees.

I finish all my paperwork around six and then head back to the apartment. Alice has Chinese takeout waiting for me and I'm so thankful for her. She talks about Jasper – apparently, Rosalie had talked him up to her and had convinced Alice to go on a date with him, assuring her that he was perfect for her. Rosalie was, apparently, better at setting people up on dates than getting her relationship straightened out.

After dinner and cleaning up, I jump into the shower and head to bed early. I'm not as nervous for my date with Edward as I was the last time, but my stomach still spends the night churning uncomfortably.

Friday morning starts off slow and I get excited – I might be able to close early to get ready for my date!

But then, around four, the place started to get packed with students getting out of class and adults leaving work. The phones were ringing off the hook – most of them placing orders for holiday parties throughout December. We had a strict rule about placing holiday orders a few weeks in advance because of how complex they could get.

It was about six forty-five by the time I could escape work and I knew I was still going to be late no matter how quickly I got home and got changed, so I decided to grab a few cupcakes to take to Edward hoping that they would be an acceptable apology.

By seven-forty I was standing in front of an apartment door, holding the white box of cupcakes. I had changed into a pair of black skinny jeans, a dark green blouse, and a pair of black ankle boots.

Taking a deep breath, I knock on the door.

Edward opens it and he frowns when he sees me. "I know I'm late and I am so, so sorry. I am not like this – at all – we were just swamped at the bakery and it's the same excuse I used the last time, I know, but it's true and I understand if you don't want to see me again." I hold the box of cupcakes out towards him. "I brought these for dessert...and as an apology."

He looks at me, glances at the cupcakes, and then looks back at me. I feel panicky – worried he's going to tell me to leave and not to call him ever again.

And then he finally speaks. "Is there a coconut cupcake?" And I let out the breath I didn't realize I was holding.

He steps aside, holding the door open wide, and I feel a thousand-pound weight lifted off my chest.

I walk into a wide-open loft and am greeted by the delicious smell of garlic, parmesan, and chicken.

The loft isn't huge, but it's a nice size for somebody who lives alone. The kitchen is to the right of the door, with a small island big enough for two people, a living room set-up to the left of the kitchen, with an L-shaped black sofa and a flat screen TV hanging on the wall. The bed is back against the furthest wall, close to the only closed off space – which I assumed to be the bathroom.

"So, what are you making?" I ask as Edward places the box of cupcakes on the island and then heads to the stove.

"You'll just have to wait and see." He remarks and I roll my eyes, leaning against the counter next to him. "Have you always been flakey on all of your dates?"

I gape at him, trying to decide whether he's being humorous or not. "No! And I am not flakey – I swear. We've been so busy at the bakery and it gets a lot worse around the holidays, especially Christmas, New Years, and Valentine's Day. I didn't forget about our date and I was really trying to be on time, but it's my bakery – I own it – which means that I can't just up and leave whenever I want. I need to be there to make sure everything goes well and that the cupcakes are made properly and nobody messes up."

"You own it?" Edward's eyebrows shoot up in surprise and I laugh, nodding. "That's impressive – how old are you?"

"Twenty-four." I narrow my eyes at him. "And how old are you, Officer?" I smirk, unable to hide the humor.

He laughs. "Twenty-six." He looks over at me, tilting his head slightly to the right. "You went out with me without knowing how old I am?"

"I could accuse you of the same thing. And you're an officer, so you should know the problems that may have come up, had I been under age." He shrugs and we both laugh. I continue to watch him as he finishes making dinner. He grabs two wine glasses from a cabinet and a bottle of white wine from the fridge. "Uhh…" I start before he has a chance to open the wine. "Do you have anything else? Like beer? I'm really not a fan of wine."

We sit at the kitchen island to eat and Edward spends most of dinner asking me about my life that we didn't get to on our last date. He asks more questions about my dad, but there isn't much there – Charlie was always a reserved person…which I got from him.

I ask Edward about his job – what he likes about it, what he doesn't – and he seems more than happy to tell me everything about his work. It's easy to see how much he enjoys it.

After we're done dinner, Edward reaches for my plate but I take it before he can grab it. "You cooked, the least I can do is clean." I stand up, taking my plate and his to the sink. He follows me.

"You're a guest and I don't make my guests clean up." He holds his hand out for my dish, but I shake my head. "Bella…"

"How about this?" I hand him the dish towel. "I wash and you dry."

He doesn't argue and it only takes us a few minutes to clean up. After we're done, I grab the white box off the counter and place it on the island. "What cupcake do you want?"

"I'm not really in the mood for a cupcake right now." There's a change in his tone of voice and I turn around to look at him, worried, but then I see that he's staring at me and his green eyes suddenly darken.

Something twists in my stomach and my heart rate picks up speed as he steps closer to me. It's the same reaction I had the last time he did this – right before he didn't kiss me.

When he's standing in front of me, he grips my hips and lifts me onto the counter, making me squeal with surprise. He stands in between my legs and brushes his thumb across my cheek. "Were you upset when I didn't kiss you on our last date?"

I nod, transfixed by his expression and demeanor. I reach my hands out and twist them in his black t-shirt, pulling him closer to me. "Did you want me to kiss you?"

 _What? He knows that I wanted him to kiss me! What is he doing?_

Again, I nod, wanting him to do something – anything.

And then he's crushing his lips against mine and his arms wrap around my waist, pulling me closer to him so our chests are pressed against each other. I drape my arms around his shoulders, one of my hands fisting in his hair at the nape of his neck.

"Stay the night…" He breathes after breaking the kiss. His nose brushes mine and I can hear my breathing – it's embarrassing, really.

I chuckle and say, "I'm not that kind of girl."

Edward laughs, brushing a strand of my hair away from my face. "Not like that. Just…spend the night."

"Don't you have work tomorrow?"

He shakes his head, his green eyes bright and excited. "Not until tomorrow night."

I agree to stay the night and then I send a quick text to Rosalie and Alice, telling them to open tomorrow morning without me and promising to meet them later in the day. They both send back smartass comments and I'm so glad they weren't in front of me because I would probably hit them both.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

I wake up to the smell of bacon and pancakes and coffee. My stomach growls and I blink the sleep from my eyes, momentarily confused about where I am. The navy blue and gray sheets are unfamiliar and then I see Edward's back to me, standing in the kitchen.

"So, you cook more than just dinner?" I ask, making my way over to him. His shoulders shake with laughter and I can see the muscles in his back through his gray t-shirt. "Impressive."

I take a seat at the island, thankful that Edward's shirt falls mid-thigh. "I don't always have guests to cook breakfast for and I'm usually still on patrol right now." He says, turning around, and placing a plate of pancakes and bacon in front of me. He places a coffee mug and coffee pot in front of me and I happily pour a cup.

"I don't usually let people cook for me, to be honest." I remark, spreading a pat of butter on my pancakes.

Edward glances at me, a playful smirk on his face. "Should I be honored?" He jokes, sliding two pancakes onto his own plate and grabbing a few pieces of bacon.

He stands across from me, on the opposite side of the island, and pours himself another cup of coffee.

Shrugging, I take a bite of bacon. "I'm just fussy about food and most of the people in my life really aren't the best cooks – my parents, especially."

"Don't you run your bakery with your friends, though? Or do you do all of the baking?"

"Alice and Rose are good at baking, but only because they follow my directions and know how I expect them to turn out. If I told either of them to come up with their own kind of cupcake, my bakery would probably burn to the ground." I chuckle, sipping my coffee.

Edward laughs, already more than halfway through his pancakes. "I can't bake for my life. Cooking an amazing dinner? Sure, no problem. Ask me to bake a cake and it isn't edible at all."

I cross my arms, resting them on the counter. "I'll keep that in mind."

After breakfast, I help him clean up again. There's a small voice in the back of my head that's reminding me that I am standing next to Edward, wearing nothing but his t-shirt and my underwear.

But Edward's gaze never strays far from my face and I don't know whether to be impressed or insulted.

"I'd hate to end this early, but I really need to get home and shower before I go to work." I sigh, after changing into my clothes from last night.

Edward is sitting at the counter, going through his emails and he stands up, making his way over to me. "I'm tempted to ask you to stay, but I have a feeling you wouldn't."

I shake my head, smiling. "Not a chance. I have a bakery to run." He drops his head in mock defeat, placing his hands on my hips and pulling me towards him. I rest my hands on his chest and he bends down, brushing the tip of my nose with his. "I really need to go…" I breathe, feeling my heart pick up speed.

"I know." His voice is low, husky. And then he presses his lips against mine and all sane thoughts go out the window.

All I can think about is his lips against mine and how soft they feel against mine and how my skin tingles when he places his hands on either side of my face.

And before I can even think about staying, Edward pulls back. "I'll call you later." He presses a quick kiss to my temple and then I head out the door.

I'm at the bakery by noon, freshly showered and in a clean pair of jeans and t-shirt. I'm re-stocking the shelves in the display case with freshly baked cupcakes, replacing the flavors that have started to sell out.

Rosalie is leaning against the counter while Alice is standing in the doorway to the kitchen. "Obviously something happened if you stayed the night."

Rosalie was grinning from ear to ear and Alice was shaking her head, a smile plastered on her pixie-like face. "Nothing happened!" I exclaim, again, for the fifteenth time. "We had dinner, drank, talked and kissed a few times and then he asked me to stay. After a movie or two we ended up falling asleep. Nothing else." I glare at a laughing Rosalie when I stand up, shutting the display case door.

"What about you?" I ask, turning to face Alice. Her smile suddenly disappears and I feel smug. "How was your date with Jasper?"

Rosalie gasps, "I completely forgot about your date with him!" Her eyes widen in excitement and I'm so happy to no longer be the subject of her questioning. "How was it?"

Alice groans, shooting me a glare, and then heads into the kitchen. Rosalie and I follow her. She's not getting off that easy.

She launches into details about her date with Jasper, about where he took her for dinner and how funny and kind he was, how much of a gentleman he was and how happy she was after their date – which didn't end until this morning. "There's just…something about him that makes him irresistible." Her eyes get a dreamy, far off look and Rosalie and I exchange glances.

"It's the uniform." I joke, pulling a batch of cupcakes from the oven.

Alice just shakes her head and grabs a piping bag, filling it with buttercream frosting and choosing to ignore Rosalie and me.

The bell rings up front, indicating someone came into the bakery. Rosalie heads up front while Alice and I stay in the back, frosting the cupcakes.

Business is slow throughout the day, only a handful of people coming in – mostly for coffee – so Alice and I started planning some of the holiday orders, coming up with a schedule.

We decide to close early, at five, and Rosalie heads off after Emmett stops by to pick her up. Alice stays back with me, helping me clear out the display case and clean the front counters. I take some of the leftover cupcakes and place them in a box. "I'm going to stop by Edward's place really quick," I tell Alice, grabbing the cupcakes and my keys. "I'll be back at the apartment later."

Ten minutes later, I'm standing out front of Edward's door holding the box of cupcakes in front of me. He opens the door, a smile spreading across his face, and I'm distracted by the fact that he answered the door in nothing but a towel – his toned chest on display.

"Hey." He leans against the door and nods at the box in my hands. "Those for me?"

I nod, finally prying my eyes from his chest to look up at his face. "They were leftovers and I figured you could bring them in to work for your coworkers." He takes them from my hands and I can feel my face getting warm with blush. "I'm guessing you're getting ready for work, so I'll leave."

He nods, frowning. "Yes, I got to get dressed, otherwise I'd invite you in."

Yeah, if he let me in there was no way he'd be on time to work. I smile shyly and fiddle with my fingers nervously. Why was I suddenly so nervous?

"I'll call you tomorrow afternoon. I promise." He bends down and presses his lips to mine.

"Be careful, please." I squeeze his hand quickly and then turn and head out to my car.

When I get back to the apartment, Alice isn't in her usual sweatpants and sweatshirt – she's in a pair of black skinny jeans and a pink top with black ballet flats. "We're going out for dinner tonight. Get changed." It isn't a suggestion. I shrug it off and go to change.

I throw on a new blouse, keeping the same jeans and boots on and then we head out, locking the door behind us and to the waiting cab.

There's a small bistro down the street from our apartment, we've been going there since we moved into the apartment sophomore year of college. It had some of the best Italian food I had ever had, and it didn't hurt that the owners loved our cupcakes and usually insisted on free drinks.

We're at the restaurant for a good two hours and have a few drinks. Heading out the door, I hail a cab and we head back home. Alice and I are giggly with the alcohol we've consumed and I feel light and warm.

Once back at our apartment, Alice hugs me goodnight and then heads to bed. I take a shower and, after changing into a pair of black sweatpants and a gray hoodie, I make my way into my bedroom and start my laptop up.

I go through a few of my emails – deleting spam and nonsense emails, reading some reviews sent in by customers and reading a few orders.

It's almost midnight by the time I shut my laptop down and start to get ready for bed, when my phone vibrates with a text. Glancing at the screen, I see Edward's name on the screen along with a message asking if I was still up. I shot back that I was and then a few seconds later, there was a knock at the front door.

Confused, I head to the door and open it. Edward is standing at the door, in a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt and then I saw his face – he looked worse than sad, close to depressed.

My heart lurches. "What's wrong? Shouldn't you be at work?"

He shakes his head, looking like he's on the verge of tears. "They sent me home…"

"Do you want to come in?" I ask and he nods, stepping inside. I shut and lock the door behind him and then turn to face him again.

I had grown used to seeing Edward being confident and happy, but right now…right now, his posture was slumped and he looked miserable. "Edward, what happened?" I asked, my voice low.

Saying nothing, he reaches out and pulls me into him, burying his face in my hair and holding me tightly.

We stand in the middle of the living room like that for a while, before he finally loosens his hold on me. "I'm sorry, you were probably going to bed. I'll head home." He starts to leave but I grab his hand.

"No, you're fine. You can stay." I don't know what's wrong with him right now, but I don't want him to be alone. He shouldn't be alone, not as miserable as he is right now.

Edward looks at me and then nods, following me to my bedroom. I slide in underneath my covers and he climbs in next to me and once again, pulls me close to him. I run my fingers through his hair, combing it with my fingers and I can see him relax a little.

He's quiet for a while and I think he fell asleep but then he sighs and says, "I had to tell a family that we found their six-year-old son…dead." His voice is strained and I can hear the pain in it. "My captain told me to take off; he said the first time is always the hardest." He laughs, no humor in the laugh. "The first time…He told me to be prepared to make those kind of home visits a lot." He sighs. "I just…I came straight here. I didn't want to be alone and I wanted to know you were safe."

I want to reassure him that of course I'm safe, but I don't say anything. I don't know how to comfort him for something like this. I let him curl up against me, his head resting on my chest as I continue to comb my fingers through his hair.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Edward is still asleep when I wake up, his arm is wrapped around my waist and his legs are tangled with mine. Very carefully, I untangle myself from him and make my way to the bathroom, grabbing my clothes for the day on my way.

I take a quick shower and then dry off, changing into a pair of jeans and the same gray hoodie from last night. I twist my hair into a messy bun, not bothering to do anything while it's still wet.

When I leave the bathroom, Edward is still asleep and I don't know if he needs to be into work today.

Should I wake him up? Or should I let him sleep in? He was so miserable last night and if he does have work today, maybe his captain understands why he might not come in.

"Edward…" I shake his shoulder gently, trying to wake him up.

He groans and buries his face in his pillow and I can't help but smile – I do the exact same thing in the morning. "It's almost ten…" I tell him, hoping he's still somewhat awake. "I don't know if you need to be in work today…"

He just shakes his head and turns so that he's facing me. "No, I have today off." He yawns, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "You?"

"Bakery's closed today."

Edward sits up, running his hands through his hair. "I'm sorry about last night – about coming over so late."

I shake my head. "Don't apologize, I'm happy you came to me. I mean…it wasn't under good circumstances, but I'm happy to be there for you." I babble nervously. "What I mean is that you shouldn't have to deal with something like that on your own."

He smiles at me and then tosses the covers off. "I need to call Jasper really quick." He grabs his cell from the bedside table and I head out into the living room to give him some privacy.

Once I'm in the kitchen, I grab a cup of yogurt from the fridge and some granola. I take a seat at the kitchen counter and scroll through emails on my phone.

"I asked Jasper to drop some clothes off for me." Edward appears from the bedroom, standing across from me on the other side of the counter. "I gave him your address, I hope that's okay?"

Nodding, I put my spoon down. "Yes, although I'm surprised he doesn't already know it."

He fixes me a confused look. "Why would he know your address?"

"He went out with Alice…my roommate." I can't help but laugh. "He didn't tell you?"

Shaking his head, Edward looks annoyed but a little impressed. "That asshole never told me. He said he was going to try and go out with her but he never…" He shakes his head, laughing.

"How close are you two? Besides being partners." I ask, forgetting about my breakfast.

He shrugs, clasping his hands in front of him on the counter. "We've known each other since high school, senior year. We became quick friends, went to the academy together and got a job at the same police department. He's like a brother to me."

"Alice and I are the same way – siblings, I mean. I'm an only child and we've known each other since the third grade. She's like my sister and she's the closest person to me, she knows everything about me and vice versa."

Jasper shows up a few minutes later, with a bag of clothes for Edward. Edward punches his arm, asking why he never said anything about Alice and then thanks him for the clothes. And then Alice is suddenly awake, running out of her bedroom when she hears Jasper's voice. She smiles brightly at him and he returns the smile.

Jasper invites Alice out to breakfast and she quickly accepts, and then he looks at both Edward and I, asking us if we want to go – more likely out of politeness. I was getting the hint that he really didn't want us to go.

We both decline and then Alice changes quickly, heading out with Jasper.

I plop down on the couch and Edward sits next to me, pulling my legs into his lap. I flick on the TV and then surf through the channels, until settling on Law & Order: SVU. Edward groans and I glance over at him, quirking an eyebrow. "What?"

He laughs, nodding towards the TV. "This stuff is never true."

"It's a TV show…" I laugh, amused at his frustrated expression.

"But they can at least try be as serious as possible!" He exclaims. "Look, the lawyer showing up to the crime scene? That would never happen!"

I just laugh, turning my attention back to the show. Amazingly, Edward stays quiet through the rest of the episode – although he makes a snide comment about who the suspect is at multiple points.

When the show ends, I mute the commercials and glance over at Edward. "Do you want to talk about last night?" I ask.

He suddenly stiffens and I feel bad for asking. "There's nothing really to talk about. I had to tell parents the one thing they should never have to hear. It sucked – it's part of my job."

Shaking my head, I pull my legs from his lap and cross them. "Edward…your captain sent you home – he obviously thinks it's serious."

"Bella…" He warns, looking straight ahead at the TV.

"No, Edward, I've seen how my dad reacted to some of the things he had to do. I've seen how much it hurts him and how he handled it and it scared me." I didn't want to lecture him – it wasn't my place to lecture him. But I lived with Charlie since I was twelve and, even in a small town like Forks, there were still accidents. He would have to tell parents that their child died in a car accident, or trying to be a daredevil and went cliff diving and hit the rocks or got pulled into the strong current. He would come home and I could just see it in his eyes whenever he had to make that kind of house call…and then he would drink. "Just…talk to me. Please."

He just shakes his head, running his hands through his hair in frustration. "I don't want to because you shouldn't have to deal with my problems. You're not the cop."

"No, but I've grown up living with one. And I'm dating one."

He gives me a sideways glance and the side of his mouth twitches, trying to fight a smile. I don't know why he's smiling, because this isn't really something to smile at…

"What?" I demand, frustrated.

Edward chuckles, and then turns to look at me. "You said we're dating." His lips twitch up into a cocky smile.

Rolling my eyes, I cross my arms over my chest. "Seriously? That's what you're focusing on?" I was annoyed by him changing the subject, but my stomach twisted as he continued to smile.

"It's just nice to hear you say it aloud, that's all."

Groaning, I slump back against the couch's arm. "You're a pain in the ass."

He may have eluded my questions, but he wouldn't be able to dodge them for long. I didn't want him to try and avoid them, I'm worried about what he might do or how he might act if he doesn't talk to someone.

"And you're my girlfriend." He mocks, leaning towards me. I roll my eyes at him again, but I'm smiling. Goddammit, I don't want to smile.

His lips brush against mine. His hands grip my thighs, yanking me towards him so that I slide down the couch and my back is against the cushions, Edward hovering over me. I laugh, my hands resting on his hips and he leans down, pressing his lips to mine again.

"You know…" I say, turning my head to the side to avoid his lips. "A boyfriend would normally talk to his girlfriend about his problems."

He groans, dropping his head. "I don't want to talk about it right now. Can you please just respect that?"

I flinch, feeling guilty. Okay, maybe I shouldn't push him…we've only just started dating and who knows how he'll react?

When he goes to kiss me again, I put the palms of my hands against his chest and shake my head. "Oh, no. You are not using sex to make me forget about what we were attempting to talk about."

"Fine." He huffs, pushing himself off me and pouting, crossing his arms across his chest – it's almost comical.

The front door opens, Alice and Jasper walking in with smiles on their faces. "We're back!" Alice calls and then her voice drops when she turns and sees us on the couch. She glances between me and Edward, raising an eyebrow to me. I just shake my head and she turns to Jasper. "Do you want to stay or…?"

Jasper shakes his head. "I really wish I could but Edward and I have plans." He looks to Edward as if waiting for him to confirm.

"Shit, yeah, sorry." Edward runs his fingers through his hair and then looks at me. "Do you mind?"

"No, go ahead! I don't want to keep you from anything important." I push myself off the couch at the same time that he does. He bends down and presses a quick kiss to my cheek and, after grabbing his things, heads out with Jasper.

Alice plops down next to me, a bright smile plastered on her face. "So…I didn't know Edward stayed over."

"It was a last-minute thing…" I shrug, not wanting to talk about it.

She quirks an eyebrow. "Does it have anything to do with his shift ending early?" I look at her, surprised. "Jasper told me that he got off early last night."

"He didn't want to talk about it and it's not really my place to say anything."

Thankfully she doesn't push. She's dating a cop – she has to know that there's things that Jasper won't tell her or won't want to talk about with her. At least I'll have her to understand, Rose would just keep pushing.

Thanksgiving comes and goes and soon the bakery is bombarded with orders for holiday party orders – all the way up until New Year's Eve. We basically had deliveries going out every single day, even on Sundays. We hired a handful more staff members and Jacob brings in a few of his friends from the Reservation to act as delivery men.

Edward's busy at work, picking up extra shifts for overtime. We don't get to spend much time together, except for when he stops by for coffee every now and then.

It's frustrating, really frustrating.

But there's nothing either of us can do. I'm not going to fault him for picking up extra shifts, especially when I don't get home until midnight practically every night. We manage a few phone calls here and there, but I'm usually getting ready for work when Edward is getting off.

At work, I'm able to concentrate on the orders I'm working on and forget about my worries. But after work, when I'm back at the apartment and Alice is asleep, I stare up at my ceiling in the dark, my mind racing with worries and fears and doesn't shut up until I manage to fall asleep around two in the morning.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

"Have a great day and a fantastic holiday." I smile at the little old lady in front of the counter, handing her coffee and cupcakes. She grins back at me and then turns to leave, after dropping a five into the tip jar.

Alice flips the sign to closed after the woman leaves and then locks the door. "So, are you bringing Edward with you when you go see Charlie?" Alice asks, turning on her pink flats and pulling her apron off, balling it up in her hands.

I shrug, continuing to wipe the counters down. "I don't know. He might have plans."

"Ask him." Is all Alice says and then she grabs the empty trays from where they were resting on a table and whisks them to the kitchen.

Shaking my head I finish closing. All our orders for the week are done, it's Saturday night and tomorrow we're closed. I have the day off tomorrow for the first time since before Thanksgiving and I'm going to visit Charlie tomorrow for dinner, since Alice and I are spending Christmas together at our place.

Back at the apartment, Alice heads straight for the kitchen to make herself some food. It's a little past nine, one of our earliest nights, and I head for the shower so that I can go over to Edward's tonight. It's one of the first nights we've both had off in a long time.

Snow is starting to fall outside by the time I get to Edward's apartment and I'm grateful to be in his warm apartment. There's a fresh pizza sitting on the counter just waiting for me and I don't hesitate to take a slice as soon as I strip out of my coat.

"Plate?" Edward asks, smiling, holding up a paper plate. I shake my head and jump up onto the counter, polishing off my first piece of pizza.

"This is the first thing I've eaten since noon." I say, grabbing another piece.

Edward leans against the counter across from me, on his third piece of pizza. "Does your boss not give you breaks?" He smirks. "What an ass."

I roll my eyes. "Yeah, she can be a real bitch."

He laughs and then launches into a story about a handful of teens he busted earlier today for vandalizing and after he's done that story, he launches into another one about an elderly man who called the police because he thought that his house was haunted.

I watch him as he talks and cleans, amazed at how he's acting now compared to the last time that we saw each other. The last time he was miserable and sheltered, but tonight he's…happy. He's laughing and smiling and none of it seems forced.

After he's done cleaning up, he moves to stand in front of me, placing his hands on the counter on either side of my thighs.

"What are you doing?" I ask, unable to hide my smile. He leans in closer so that his lips are only a few centimeters away from mine. "I thought we were going to watch a movie."

He shrugs, his green eyes sparkling mischievously. "We can do that later."

And then he kisses me and butterflies take off in my stomach and my cheeks start to warm up. His hands move to my waist, his warm palms brushing the sliver of skin visible beneath my t-shirt. I wrap my legs around his waist and my arms around the back of his neck. His lips travel down my neck, across my collarbone and back up my neck. My breathing his heavy and embarrassing.

He slips his hands under my thighs, lifting me up and walking across the room to drop me on the bed. I giggle as he crawls over my body to press his lips to mine again, silencing me.

Later that night, we're still lying in bed, our legs tangled up and my head is nestled against his shoulder. He's running his fingers up and down my arm, his touch feather light. "So, I was wondering…"

"Uh-oh." Edward chuckles.

Rolling my eyes, I continue. "Do you have any plans for Christmas? Family to go see?"

Sighing, Edward clasps my right hand with his left hand. "No. My dad is working. Doctor's don't get holidays off, apparently." He sounds bitter.

"Your dad's a doctor?" He nods. I'll pry about that later. "I was wondering…if you might want to come with me to Forks for the day? I usually visit him for Christmas dinner and I'm sure he'd be happy to meet you."

He's quiet for a bit, his thumb running across my knuckles. "Okay, I'll go."

I tilt my head back to look at him, smiling. "Really?" He nods and my smile grows and I know that I probably look ridiculous. "Thank you." He leans down to press a soft kiss to my lips.

"What will this dinner require? Do I need to bring food? How should I dress?" He's nervously rambling and I press my lips together to keep from smiling. His rambling is adorable.

Charlie had recently started dating Sue Clearwater and, thankfully, she was an amazing cook and was used to cooking for a lot of people – before her last husband died, she was always down in La Push at the Reservation cooking for the "inner circle" of people there, Jacob and his father were involved in it and Charlie and I were welcomed whenever.

I knew that she would be handling Christmas dinner, so I was confident that there would be plenty of food available. "No food. Oh, but dress in a three-piece suit. Charlie's extremely formal."

He looks worried, his green eyes widening. "Seriously?"

I laugh. "No, not seriously. Charlie hates being formal, I don't think I've ever seen him in a suit. I'm not sure he even has one." We both laugh.

The week of Christmas is super busy. The bakery is overloaded with holiday orders and we're spending the rest of the week finishing orders and having them delivered. Alice and I occasionally join Jacob on the deliveries, but most of the time we're in the kitchen.

I gave Edward a head's up about the busy week, just so that he didn't think I was blowing him off. He stopped by occasionally, with Jasper of course.

The two of them would stop by for coffee and cupcakes for their night shifts and Jasper would go hunt down Alice. Edward and I would stand to the side, away from the customers, spending a few minutes talking. "Do you have anything healthier than these?" He asks, holding up a vanilla cupcake with cookie dough frosting and then taking a bite.

"Are they bad?" I ask, stiffening. I glance over at the display case, that row almost completely gone for the day – a lot of people like those cupcakes. They were some of our bestsellers.

He smiles, shaking his head. "They're great. But I'm going to start gaining weight if I keep eating these."

Guilt ripped through my stomach. I was an idiot. I usually brought him leftover cupcakes whenever I went over and I didn't think too much of it…I forgot about how important it was for him to stay in shape. Goddammit. "I'm sorry." I apologize. After work, I was going to hunt down some healthy cupcake recipes…or some other dessert.

"Cullen, we gotta go." Jasper reappears from the kitchen, smiling and a little flushed. Edward sighs and then bends down to press a quick kiss to my cheek.

I wave goodbye to Jasper and can't help my grin as Edward leaves – I love him in his uniform. Rosalie's standing at the counter, smirking at me.

I flip her off.

We close the bakery on the twenty-third, taking that day to plan the cupcake menu for January and the start of February. We do inventory of everything we need, go through all equipment that we need. Rosalie, Alice, and I discuss some of the staff members and go through evaluations.

On Christmas Eve, Rosalie and Emmett join Alice and I at our apartment for a friends' Christmas dinner. Alice and I cook, along with some help from Emmett, while Rosalie takes care of making the drinks. Jasper and Edward show up a little later, after their shift is done. Jasper heads straight for Alice, handing her a small gift wrapped in red and green plaid wrapping paper. Edward wraps an arm around my waist and kissing the top of my head.

The apartment isn't that big to begin with, and with all six of us, it seems a little more crowded. But it's warm and Rosalie is rearranging some of the Christmas tree decorations while the rest of us are spread around.

I leave Alice and Emmett in the kitchen to argue over the food, while I sit in the living with everyone else.

Edward sits down next to me and hands me a small box wrapped in shiny silver wrapping paper and tied with a red bow. I give him a sidelong glance and he just leans back against the couch, smirking. "You didn't have to get me a present." I tell him, feeling sort of guilty for not getting him something. I hadn't had time.

There's a simple black box under the wrapping paper and nestled inside the box is a simple silver chair with a small emerald diamond hanging from it.

"Edward…it's beautiful. Thank you."

Rosalie leans over to inspect it and apparently, it passes her standards' test because she nods to me. I roll my eyes at her. Turning, I give Edward and quick peck on his lips and he grabs my free hand, squeezing it.

After dinner, Edward helps clean up while I get my clothes for tomorrow. I pack an overnight bag and then we leave, after our goodbyes to everyone else.

The following day, we get up and start to get ready around ten in the morning. It was going to take, if we were lucky, two hours to get to Charlie's house. I had given Charlie a head's up about Edward coming and he didn't seem too enthusiastic – mainly because I didn't really tell him that I was dating somebody, but he promised me he would be on his best behavior.

I dress in a pair of jeans and a black blouse, clipping Edward's present around my neck and straightening it. The emerald was almost as green as his eyes.

"You look beautiful." Edward says, appearing behind me, and wrapping his arms around my waist. I smile, resting my arms over his and leaning my head back against his chest.

"Thank you very much." He presses a kiss to my neck and I turn around in his arms and look up at him. "And you look very handsome." He's wearing a navy-blue sweater and dark jeans and he's starting to grow out a beard, but it's mainly stubbly. He's still cute. "Ready to go?" I ask, giving him a warm smile.

We make it to Charlie's in an hour and fifteen minutes, somehow beating the busy holiday traffic. Edward walks over to my side to open my door and then takes my hand once I'm out of the car.

Charlie opens the door and grins, pulling me into a hug. It's a little awkward because Edward is still gripping my hand and Charlie notices. He looks Edward up and down, his smile slowly disappearing. "You must be Edwin…"

"Ed- _ward_ , Dad." I sigh.

Edward drops my hand to reach it out for a handshake. "It's nice to meet you, Chief Swan."

Thankfully Charlie takes Edward's hand and then invites us inside, shutting the door behind us. Sue is in the kitchen and she makes her way over to me, wrapping me in an embrace. "Merry Christmas, Bella!"

"Thank you, Sue, and you too." I look at the food covering the small kitchen table. "The food looks amazing."

We follow Charlie into the living room and sit down on the old sofa while Charlie takes his recliner. "So, Edward…" Charlie huffs as he leans back. "What do you do for a living?"

Edward leans back, resting his right ankle on top of his left knee. "I'm actually working at the Seattle Police Department."

Charlie's eyebrows shoot up in surprise and then he narrows his eyes at me. "Bella never told me that." I blush guiltily. "How long have you been working there?"

"Since I graduated high school – I went straight into the academy." Charlie's demeanor changes and suddenly he has no problem talking to Edward, his earlier stiffness gone. He leans forward, his elbows resting on his knees as he talks to Edward. They discuss everything – the academy, some of the mutual officers they know and then they get into baseball and I officially zone out.

Jacob and his father show up a little while later, followed by Sue's kids – Seth and Leah. We all sit around, in the small living room, chatting. Seth is still in high school while Leah is in her last year of college at the University of Washington.

We exchange presents – I got Charlie a new fishing pole and tackle box and he mumbled his thanks, his face flushing.

Dinner is eaten around five and Charlie and Edward continue to chat over mutual colleagues. Jacob and I chat about some of the upcoming deliveries and his opinions on some of the new delivery workers I hired. Leah and Seth are helping Sue clean up after dinner and then she's passing out some of the cookies and other treats she's made.

Jacob and his father are the first to leave, shortly followed by Seth, Leah, and Sue. Charlie walks Edward and I to the door and gives me a tight hug. "You know, I'm hurt that you never told me about your boyfriend being a cop. I wouldn't have to worry about you all that much." He smiles as he pulls away.

I laugh, shaking my head. "Don't worry, Charlie. I'll watch over her." Edward promises, extending his hand for a handshake.

Charlie takes it, still smiling. "I have no doubt that you will. And you're going to have to invite me to the office, let me see some of the guys."

"Will do, Charlie."

I hug Charlie once more and promise to stop by more often and then Edward takes my hand as we head towards the car, snow starting to blanket the ground.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

New Year's came and went and I decided to close the bakery for a week after the busy holidays we just had. It had been a major peak in the business, the most orders and requests that we have ever had. It made me proud and I figured people could live if we closed for a week.

The week off also gave me more time to spend with Edward. Alice had Jasper staying over with her, so I crashed at Edward's apartment. He had no problem with it, in fact, he was more than happy to empty out two drawers in his dresser for me.

It was sweet.

One night, I was asleep in the bed, curled up under the covers in one of his oversized t-shirts. I had spent the day with Alice and Rosalie, shopping around for some new outfits and a few new items for the bakery. Edward was gone for a night shift, which left me at the apartment by myself.

Which is why I almost screamed when, around two in the morning, I felt a pair of arms wrapping around my mid-section. I panicked, kicking at whoever it was, and pushing away from them, turning over to see who broke in.

Edward was looking mildly worried while also trying to hide a smile. "Jesus, Edward, you scared the shit out of me." I hissed, feeling my heartbeat in my throat. "You almost gave me a goddamn heart attack." I smack his arm.

He chuckles and then wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me into his chest. "Sorry, love. I didn't mean to. I got off early and tried not to wake you."

I sigh, burying my face in his chest. "Don't do that again."

He presses a kiss to the top of my head. "I'm sorry, I won't do it again." I can hear the smile in his voice and I pinch his abdomen.

When I wake up the following morning, I expect to be wrapped in Edward's arms but his side of the bed is cold and empty. I panic for a moment, wondering if I just dreamed last night happened. But then I hear the TV and glance up, to see him sitting on the couch.

Tossing the blankets off my body, I pad over to the couch and lean over the back of it. "Hey, you okay?" He looks back at me and then back to the television.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just couldn't sleep last night. I didn't wake you, did I?"

"No, you're fine. The bed just felt a little empty." I give him a smile and he reaches for my hand, pressing a kiss to the backside of my hand. "Come back to bed…" I plead, grabbing onto his hand.

He sighs, smiling, and then stands up and turns the TV off, and follows me back to bed.

Later that week, I head to the bakery to go over some paperwork and get the bills out of the way. The bakery was still closed, so I was the only one in it. Edward had offered to come with me, but then he was called into work for an extra shift and I told him that I was fine – I would be stopping in after dinner and would probably be awhile.

I was in the kitchen in the back, leaning against a table while going through the bills for the month and some more paperwork that needed to dealt with.

The lights in the front were off and I was scared by a knock against the glass window or door, one of them, it didn't really matter. Why was somebody knocking on the glass when the lights were off?

My heartrate sped up and I could feel my hands shake while I waited for something to happen.

There was another knock and I quickly reached for my phone, dialing the first two numbers to 911. My thumb hovered over the one for a bit, listening.

I slowly walked to the edge of the kitchen, staying hidden behind the wall, and try to glance out into the bakery. There's a dark figure standing at the door and I bite back a scream. I press the one and then press my phone to my ear.

"911, what's your emergency?"

"My name's Bella Swan and I'm in my bakery and I think somebody's trying to break in."

"Okay, Bella. What's the address?" I give her the address and she explains that she's dispatching the closest police cruiser, but I need to stay on the phone with her.

My heart is still beating faster than it should be, and I have my back pressed against the wall, terrified to look out into the bakery again, when there's a loud crash and I know that the glass is shattered. I scream and run towards the fridge, shutting myself in it. The woman is trying to calm me, promising that the police are only seconds away.

And then I hear glass breaking under feet and the woman lets me know that the police are now in the bakery. Throwing open the door I make my way out of the fridge and there are two police officers, with their guns up. They drop them. "Seattle police department, are you okay?" The one closest to me asks.

I nod, my hands still shaking. A car door slams outside and then Edward appears in the kitchen, worry and panic written all over his face. "Bella!" He hurries over to me and yanks me into his arms.

"Edward." I sigh, burying my face into his chest – his uniform makes it slightly uncomfortable.

He takes my face in his hands and studies me, his eyes moving up and down my face. "Are you okay? I heard the call come in over the scanner and I was only a few blocks away." He turns and nods to the two officers. "Did you guys check the back alley?" They both shake their heads, decide I'm fine here with Edward, and head out the back door.

"I'm f-fine. Just shaken up." I try to laugh it off, but I nothing comes out. I let Edward pull me back against his chest, his arms wrapped tightly around me.

"Come on," he says, starting to walk me outside. "I'll take you back to my apartment." His voice is tense and I notice that he's holding onto me just as tightly as I'm holding onto him. "My shift's over, so I just have to shoot by the station to clock out and change." I don't say anything, just nod my head, and let him direct me towards his cruiser.

When he shuts my door, I'm about to get back out to lock up, but then I see that the entire front door is shattered, all the broken glass lying on the ground outside and inside. My bakery…

I feel Edward's hand on my knee, squeezing it reassuringly. "Don't worry. They'll have somebody stay on lookout, make sure nothing's stolen."

I make a mental note to call the insurance company first thing tomorrow morning to get the door situation fixed. "You should think about getting a security system…" Edward says, his eyes focused on the road but he still looks tense.

"It's not a bad neighborhood…" I say, a little too defensively.

He chuckles, shaking his head. "I know that, but most businesses have some sort of security system to alert the police about a break-in when nobody is there." All humor suddenly disappears from his tone and face. "I don't want anything like this to happen to you again. Or something worse."

Oh, Edward. Caring, over-protective, Edward. My chest suddenly feels warm, but I don't smile at him.

"It was a random thing. The guy was probably drunk."

He shakes his head, turning into the station's parking lot. "I don't care. You're important to me and I have seen way too many random events turn deadly."

I just cross my arms and he rolls his eyes, as he shuts off the cruiser and we both climb out of the car. I follow behind him into the station, around corners and into a plain room like resembles a college classroom – a projector in the back of the room and three rows of tables with chairs. He clocks out and then I follow him out of the room again, this time stopping in front of the locker room. "I'll be out in a second." He says and then disappears.

I wander around the hallway, looking at some of the pictures. There's a big plaque with a bunch of officers' pictures with their names under them – some of them are familiar, mainly because of Charlie, but most of them I don't know until I get to the bottom where both Jasper and Edward's names sit.

Edward's picture is so serious that I can't help but laugh.

"What're you laughing at?" I jump at the sound of Edward's voice, not having heard him approaching.

I point at his picture. "You look so serious."

He wraps an arm around my waist and drags me away from the pictures. "Alright, enough making fun of me." We walk outside and head to his car. "Do you want to go back to your apartment or are you fine staying with me tonight?"

The petty side of me wants to tell him to take me back to my apartment, because I am still mad at him for thinking that I'm not capable of defending myself, but I also know that if I do go back to my place, Edward would be up all night worried about me.

"I can stay with you." I say, avoiding his eyes by looking out the car window.

When we pull up outside his apartment, I barely wait for him to park the car before I jump out of it and head up to the door. He's a few paces behind me and enters his code to get into the building.

"Are you going to be pouting all night?" He asks as we make our way up the steps.

"I am not pouting." I hiss, glaring at him when we come to a halt outside of his door. He has a grin on his face and I bite the insides of my cheeks. I am not going to let him see me smile when I am mad at him.

As soon as he opens the door, I make my way to the couch and sit down, pulling my legs into my chest. "Bella, please…" Edward sighs, perching on the edge of the coffee table in front of me. "Is this about the bakery?"

Shrugging, I rest my chin on the tops of my knees. "I guess, but then you came in about the stupid security system and you're being overly protective."

His head drops down and he runs his hand over the back of his neck. "Bella…"

"No! Edward, don't. I get why you're protective – it's just a part of you and I love that about you, but I am an adult. I can take care of myself and I have been. My bakery wasn't targeted, it was a random thing. I've had it for four years and this is the first time this has happened. Nobody is going to go after a bakery."

Sighing, Edward looks back up at me. "My job makes me extremely paranoid, Bella. I see things that I really don't want to see and it makes me sick and terrified for my friends and family. But it has nothing to do with how paranoid I am about something happening to you. When I heard about the break-in at the bakery, my first thought was the worst thought."

My chest feels tight and I sit up, placing my feet on the floor.

"I am protective of you because if something were to happen to you, I wouldn't be able to live with myself."

Reaching forward, I grab his hands and press my lips to his knuckles. "Edward, nothing will happen to me. I'm more worried about you getting hurt."

He shakes his head. "Silly girl." He chuckles and I roll my eyes. "So, we've established that we're both worried about each other…"

I smile and he lunges towards me, trapping me under him on the couch. "Am I forgiven?" He asks, pressing his lips to my neck. "Am I?" He asks again as he presses his lips under my chin. "I just want to know that you're safe. I care about you a lot, Bella." He trails kisses from my neck, up to my temple and then he stops millimeters from my lips. "I love you." He says, his green eyes burning into mine.

I'm breathless, staring at him and I can see the panic slowly starting to take over him. "I love you, too." His body sags with relief and then he crushes his lips to mine.


End file.
